


(don't love you) like i love you.

by redhoods



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-09
Updated: 2012-04-09
Packaged: 2017-11-03 07:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/378963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoods/pseuds/redhoods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jace ends up with a lap full of wrapping paper which he promptly pushes on top of Izzy’s pile of presents so he can turn to face Alec, watching him with the brown paper bag in his lap, following Alec’s finger as he traces it over the indent of the box through the paper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(don't love you) like i love you.

Jace can see Alec sitting on the front steps of the church where the institute is, a black shadowy figure hunched against the snow and cold. He coughs before he can stop himself, sees the reaction immediately when Alec’s head snaps up and in his direction. He feels like he’s seconds from collapsing, moving sluggishly towards the entrance gate.

Alec is already moving quickly down the path towards him and Jace manages a weak smile, practically collapsing against Alec when the older male finally reaches him. Alec is muttering something that Jace can’t really understand but if Jace knows Alec half as well as he thinks he does - which he does - he knows he’s getting called every name in Alec’s very significant book.

They’ve just crossed into the threshold when Jace starts to lose consciousness, vision turning inky black at the ages until it takes over his field of vision completely.

\--

Jace isn’t sure how much time has passed when he comes back to, laying in his own bed instead of the infirmary like he expected. The right side of his body from below his ribcage to about his knee is really warm, almost hot, and he realizes that it’s Alec, slumped forwards on the bed, cheek on Jace’s hip, face turned up towards Jace like Alec fell asleep waiting for him to wake up. 

Warmth feels all of Jace.

He wants to let Alec know that he’s awake but he’s already drifting back under, eyelids heavier than lead.

\--

When he comes to again, Alec isn’t there anymore but Izzy is, watching him like a hawk. Her eyes narrow when she realizes he’s awake and she’s moving before Jace can even get his mouth open. He blinks a few times once she’s gone, wondering what’s happening but Alec comes running into the room, skidding to a stop in front of the chair that Izzy had vacated.

“Hi,” Jace tries, voice hoarse and somewhat pathetic and he really wants to know how long he’s been unconscious.

“Hi,” Alec says. Jace has never used the word ‘dumb’ in association with Alec, but he sort of wants to now with the way the older male is looking at him.

\--

Jace doesn’t remember falling asleep again but when he wakes up, Alec is sitting on the edge of his bed now, facing towards the door and having a rather colorful argument with Izzy, who Jace can just barely see over Alec’s shoulder. He reaches out, fingers gripping onto the hem of Alec’s shirt, “Parabatai.”

Alec whips to him so fast Jace wonders how he didn’t snap his neck, his expression is a little angry, but mostly fond. Jace finds himself nuzzling into the hand that Alec rests on his cheek, fingers twisting into the fabric of Alec’s shirt. “How are you feeling?”

Izzy huffs from the doorway and stomps off, footsteps echoing through the hall.

\--

It’s been two weeks since Jace lost consciousness in Alec’s arms, almost Christmas now. Alec is mothering him, or maybe smothering him, barely letting him out of his sight. Jace is getting sort of antsy. He’s been awake three days, has been walking and everything, but Alec is still right there.

Not that he’s complaining, because he knows he would do the same thing if the positions were reversed, but it’s Christmastime and Jace wants to be able to get something for his parabatai.

He enlists Izzy’s help.

\--

It takes the massage coupons, two manicure coupons, and way more of his masculinity than Jace is willing to admit to, but Izzy comes to his room triumphantly while Alec is taking out some frustrations in the training room. He looks at it once, deems it acceptable - really, it’s perfect but he’s not going to tell Izzy that to her face, before he stashes it under his bed.

Alec comes in minutes after he’s managed to get it under there far enough and just back into bed. “Izzy just smirked at me in the hallway, vaguely reminiscent of the Cheshire cat, what did you tell her?”

Jace shakes his head, motions for Alec to come over to him, “I didn’t tell her anything,” he murmurs, before dragging the other into a kiss. He wrinkles his nose then, pushing lightly at Alec’s chest as he breaks the kiss. “You reek.”

“Charming, parabatai,” is Alec’s response as he leaves the room. Jace hears the shower start a few minutes later anyways.

\--

Jace is usually the type to go from asleep to awake in seconds, but this time is an exception. He’s trying his hardest to fight off waking up, wanting to sleep in, but someone is incessantly shaking him and murmuring his name over and over again. Trying to roll over is unsuccessful so he blinks a few times, “M’up.”

He hears a sigh above him and immediately knows it’s Alec. “Izzy’s going to start opening presents without us if you don’t come on,” Alec states, sounding aggravated, but he loses affect by pressing his lips to Jace’s forehead.

Pushing himself to sit up, Jace rubs his hands over his eyes before stretching, “I’ll be out there in a minute,” he murmurs and watches Alec go. Sliding off the bed, he lays on his stomach on the floor by the bed, fumbling under the bed until his fingers hit the brown paper bag.

He makes a triumphant sound and pulls it out to him.

\--

They let Izzy drag presents out from under the tree, settling down on the couch. Jace ends up on Alec’s left side, his back pressed against Alec’s side, Alec’s arm over his shoulder and their fingers loosely curled together around Jace’s cup of hot chocolate.

“I think that’s all of them,” Izzy states from the floor and is setting about sorting them into piles. Jace hands her the brown paper bag in his lap, watching her add it to Alec’s pile.

“Parabatai,” Alec starts warningly.

Jace tilts his head backwards, practically sprawling himself across the older male’s lap before he can finally see Alec’s face, “I know, but I wanted to,” he states, pressing his lips to Alec’s jaw, then sits back up, listening to Izzy make retching noises.

\--

Jace ends up with a lap full of wrapping paper which he promptly pushes on top of Izzy’s pile of presents so he can turn to face Alec, watching him with the brown paper bag in his lap, following Alec’s finger as he traces it over the indent of the box through the paper. “I didn’t have a chance to wrap it,” he states softly, breaking Alec’s trance. He barely hears Izzy excuse herself from the room.

Alec nods once, “It’s alright. I’m surprised you managed to even smuggle this in,” he murmurs, unfolding the bag from where Jace had wrapped it around the box inside it when he had pulled it out the previous night to make sure the gift hadn’t been some dream he had had.

“Izzy helped,” he murmurs for a lack of anything else to say, feeling nervous for the first time in his life. He wants to tell Alec to forget it, nevermind, it was stupid to get a present when they had agreed no presents. Or. He wants to tell Alec to hurry up, open it, look.

The box falls into Alec’s hand when he tilts the bag sideways, looking foreboding and a few other words that Jace can’t come up with over the sound of blood rushing through his ears.

“Jace?”

“Hm?” 

“Breath.”

Jace releases the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and immediately sucks in another mouthful of air, forcing himself to remember how his body works. He nods once he’s regulated again, gesturing vaguely to the box in Alec’s palm.

Alec smiles at him before looking to the box, running a long finger across the top of it before he pulls it open. 

Jace finds himself holding his breath again.

\--

Later that day, after sitting through several Christmas movies with Izzy, they end up in Jace’s room and Jace finds himself tucked under Alec’s arm, leaning back against the older male’s chest. Jace lifts his right hand and moves it up to where Alec’s left hand is splayed over his heart. He rubs his finger along the band, feeling the indent of the rune carved into it. His fingers leave prints that smudge the silver but he doesn’t really care.

He feels Alec’s lips pressed to the back of his head, “I love you, too, parabatai,” he hears Alec murmur and smiles despite himself.

“Te iubesc, draga.”


End file.
